In recent years, along with the development of information & communication technology and semiconductor technology, various electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones, tablet Personal Computers (PCs), Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) or the like) have increasingly been fabricated with a small size, a slim shape, a convenient grip and light weight, and have provided a variety of functions desired by users. For example, an electronic device may output a variety of information using a display (e.g., a touch screen including a touch panel), and may receive an input (e.g., touch or hovering) by the user. The user may select his or her desired information by touching (or hovering) specific information in the variety of information provided on the display, and may control the electronic device without using a separate key (e.g., a key of a hardware keypad).
The electronic device may, for example, support communication between multiple electronic devices through wired/wireless communication modules (e.g., Local Area Network (LAN), Wireless LAN (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Near Field Communication (NFC), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Zigbee, Bluetooth (BT), or cellular modules). The user may exchange information between multiple electronic devices using wired/wireless communication, and may remotely control another electronic device (e.g., a Television (TV) communicating with a mobile phone) on one electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone).
According to the technology of the related art, an electronic device may determine an area on a display, which is touched (or hovered) by a part of the user's body or an object (e.g., stylus or electronic pen), and perform an event (e.g., execution of an application, control of screen brightness, control of another electronic device, or the like) corresponding to the user's input depending on the touched area. However, the electronic device may, for example, distinguish each of various areas (e.g., areas in which icons and software keypad's numbers or letters are displayed) on the display, not by a separate hardware device (e.g., a hardware keypad), but by software such as a text or an icon included in one image (e.g., one image displayed on the display). Accordingly, the user may have difficulty in distinguishing the areas such as various icons or texts which are displayed and distinguished in various areas on the display, only with the tactile sensation. In addition, if the user does not directly watch the display with his or her eyes, an area unwanted by the user may be touched, so events unintended by the user may be executed.
For example, an electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone) may be used as a remote control device (e.g., a remote controller) that can control operations of another electronic device (e.g., a TV). For example, upon obtaining a user input of dragging, from left to right, a display that is functionally connected to (e.g., mounted in) an electronic device, the electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone) may switch a channel of another electronic device (e.g., a TV) (e.g., may switch from a low-numbered channel to a high-numbered channel). On the other hand, upon obtaining a user input of dragging the display of the electronic device from bottom to top, the electronic device may raise the volume of another electronic device.
In this case, the user may enter commands for controlling another electronic device (e.g., a TV) on the display of an electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone) with his or her hands, while watching the screen of another electronic device with his or her eyes. However, if the user does not watch the display of the electronic device, the user's drag direction may be different from the user's desired direction due to various factors such as the direction in which the electronic device is located, or the angle between the user and the electronic device. For example, even though the user has wanted to change the channel by dragging right the display of the electronic device, the volume of another electronic device may be changed, as the dragged input direction is recognized as a down direction on the display. As a result, the electronic device may perform other events depending on the misinterpreted user's input, instead of performing the user's desired events (e.g., channel switching) on another electronic device.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.